Secondary School Festival Award Announcements Page 12
SETC 2026 – Renewed my spirit!
Walking into SETC 2026, I hoped for a conference that would reignite my passion for theatre, storytelling, and the power of creative community and it did exactly that SETC has always been known as a hub for artists, educators, and industry professionals, but this year was magical I had the feeling everyone at the conference was hungry for collaboration, networking, and stirring their creativity Whether you were a seasoned professional or a student attending for the first time, SETC made room for everyone to feel challenged and inspired
The festival performances were top notch, showcasing talent that was bold, fearless, and astonishingly moving across every festival and production Each performance served as a powerful reminder of why live theatre is irreplaceable
What continues to fill my heart is the sense of community SETC isn’t just a place to network it’s a place to connect genuinely Conversations spark in hallways, continue over meals, and grow into meaningful relationships
SETC 2026 also served as a powerful reminder of why gathering like this matters In an industry that can often feel uncertain, this convention reaffirms that none of us are creating alone It reminded me that theatre thrives on collaboration, courage, and community and that those values are alive and well
As I left, I headed home with renewed motivation SETC 2026 didn’t just inspire me; it reminded me why I fell in love with theatre and its people in the first place I hope your experience stays with you long after you return home, just as mine will
Jeremy Kisling (he/him) President
NEWS
ConnectingYouto Opportunitiesin
TheatreNationwide
CentralOffice
SETC
5701 W Gate City Blvd
Suite K, Box 186
Greensboro, NC 27407
336 265 6148
info@setc org
Central Office Team
Joanna Sheehan Bell (she/her) Executive Director
Jack Benjamin (he/him) Outgoing Executive Director
MaeganMcNerneyAzar(she/her) StaffBoardLiaison
Beth Watkins Brown (she/her) Director & Producer of Festivals & Special Events
Nikki Baldwin (she/her) Support Staff Specialist & Asst to Editor-in-Chief
Marci Duncan (she/her) Director of Auditions
AaliyahJordan(she/her) ResourceSpecialist
Sharell Luckett, PHD (she/her) Editor-in-Chief, Southern Theatre Magazine
VeronicaNeblett(she/her) Accounting/HRGeneralist
Thomas Pinckney(he/him) Director of Advancement
ADVERTISE withus!
SETC offers several affordable ways to put your program in front of a broad audience
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A Setting Where History Meets the Horizon
Join Us This October in Chillicothe
By Lance Culpepper
At a time when everyone is thinking of Spring break and summer vacations, I would like you to consider the cool days of Fall There is a specific kind of magic that settles over Southern Ohio when the calendar turns to October The humid haze of the Scioto River valley lifts, replaced by a crisp, biting clarity It is against this backdrop that we invite you to the 2026 National Convention on Outdoor Theatre,
hosted by the Scioto Society producers of the historic outdoor
drama, “Tecumseh!” in the historic heart of the Buckeye State: Chillicothe, Ohio.
Choosing a location for an outdoor theatre conference is about more than just finding a hall with enough chairs; it’s about finding a place that inspires and engages artists and producers. As Ohio’s first capital, it sits at the intersection of ancient civilization and pioneer ambition. Chillicothe is hub for history and nature including the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, the historic Aden Mansion, and over 200 miles of scenic trails.
An Active Convention
This year’s programming is designed to get you out of your seat and into the field. This conference is more than convention hall meeting rooms. Every day is a different experience visiting local venues such as Sugarloaf Mountain, home of “Tecumseh!”, and the historic Majestic Theatre in downtown Chillicothe. At "Tecumseh!" we will meet with the production team of the world-famous outdoor drama to discuss the intersection of cultural storytelling, tourism, and large-scale outdoor event management including their seasonal offering, ‘Haunted Mountain’.
Lance Culpepper (he/him) Chair, Outdoor Theatre Committee
ConnectingYouto Opportunitiesin TheatreNationwide
CentralOffice
SETC
5701 W Gate City Blvd
Suite K, Box 186
Greensboro, NC 27407
336 265 6148
info@setc org
ExecutiveCommittee
JeremyKisling (he/him) President
Ian Andersen (he/him) VP of States
GingerPooleAvis(she/her) VPofFinance
Carlton V. Bell II (they/them) VP of Opportunity & Access
Harry Culpepper (he/him) VP of Divisions
CarolineJaneDavis(she/her) Secretary
We will have the opportunity to discover charming downtown Chillicothe shops near the Majestic Theatre where we will tour the venue and discuss community partnerships featuring Melody Young, Visit Chillicothe’s Executive Director, and Brandon Cavender Smith, Producer and CEO of Tecumseh! Additional programming and excursions are in development as well.
Why October?
Iris Goode-Middleton (she/her) VP of Administration
MatthewLeckenbusch(he/him) VPofServices
JeffGibson(he/him) ElectedPastPresident ADVERTISE withus!
SETC offers several affordable ways to put your program in front of a board audience
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Send your news to Thomas Pinckney, Marketing & Communication Manager
thomas@setc.org.
It is the season of harvest, of reflection, and of preparation for the year ahead the perfect headspace for professional growth Gathering at this time of year allows us to share our successes and glean ideas from our colleagues who share in our challenges of producing outdoors and gives us time to implement new strategies or tools as we prepare for the coming season
Join Us
We hope you will join us in Chillicothe, OH this October 7-10, 2026 for the 63rd Annual National Convention on Outdoor Theatre Additional event information will be shared soon! Come for the professional
The cast of the award winning outdoor drama “Tecumseh!”
5701 W Gate City Blvd
Suite K, Box 186
Greensboro, NC 27407
336 265 6148
info@setc org
ADVERTISE withus!
SETC offers several affordable ways to put your program in front of a board audience
Emailus for more information
Send your news to Thomas Pinckney, Marketing & Communication Manager thomas@setc.org.
If you have found any factual or photographic errors in this newsletter, please email thomas@setc org with a correction
Pages to Performance: Playwrights Building Community at SETC
By Tiffany Gilly-Forrer
The first time a playwright walks into a conference like SETC, there’s often a quiet question sitting just beneath the surface: Is there a place for me here? For years, the Southeastern Theatre Conference has been a cornerstone for actors, directors, designers, and educators, a place where careers begin and networks exp the experience hasn’t always been as clea ng to change, and for Maryland playwrigh change has been tangible.
“This year was my second time attending the conference, and my first year attending as a speaker,” says Marshall Logan Gibbs. Their relationship with SETC didn’t begin there, though. Like many theatre artists, they had known about it long before they had ever stepped into the space. “I grew up hearing a lot about it when I was in high school theatre, but unfortunately I never had a chance to go until much laterjust last year in fact, when the conference came to my hometown of Baltimore, MD - and I am so glad I came! I don’t plan to ever miss it again.”
Tiffany Gilly-Forrer (she/her)
Gibbs’ first year at SETC offered glimpses of what could be possible but also revealed the gaps that still existed for playwrights “My first year attending (2025), there unfortunately wasn’t a lot that the conference had to offer for playwrights,” they said “There was, of course, the Getchell New Play Award, The 24 Hour Play Fest, and there were two awesome workshops taught by Bob Bartlett, and both were well worth much else for d: they made ference did production of became a possibilities heatreis a great e already eady to see you I d shifted ywrights!” art Writing to here were o there truly rogramming; ges of their ere the e t and chat ding friends conference ded my
They focused on what that meant in practice: “I left feeling like I made a lot of new friends and that is a great feeling ” This year, Gibbs wasn’t just attending those conversations; they were leading them “I had two [workshops] and they went very well!” they said The first, Self Marketing for Playwrights, addressed a question that hovers over nearly every emerging writer’s career: How the heck do I get my work staged? “My first was Self Marketing for Playwrights, and it was all about how to build a presence for yourself as a playwright online and find opportunities to get your work staged,” they explain “The first was more well-attended and actually went over time because of the great conversations we were having in the room and I think that this is a testament to the fact that this workshop was covering the question that every playwright really wants to know ”
What they heard from the students in the room confirmed it. “From talking with dozens of students that attended this session, it seems clear to me that this is the hurdle a lot of playwrights face early in their career. They’ve written, they’ve revised, but now they want their play to be performed!” Their second workshop, Writing Modern Adaptations of Classic Plays, offered a different kind of entry point one rooted in craft, structure, and creative exploration. Together, the two sessions reflected what playwrights need most, both the how and the what next.
Even as the presence of playwriting grows at SETC, Gibbs is clear-eyed about what could come next. “Well, I have a nitpick, but one that I think is important enough to address,” they said. “On Whova and the schedules for all of the programming… Directing and Playwriting workshops and events are listed together. As in the category was ‘Directing/ Playwriting.’ I really would like to see the distinction between these two very different paths clear.” It’s a small detail, but a meaningful one Naming something clearly is often the first step in recognizing its importance
Beyond that, they imagine something more expansive a space not just for attending, but for creating in real time “I also think it would be nice to have a dedicated space to work on writing and to share work with one another,” they suggested “A casual room that playwrights can come to throughout the conference to workshop their writing, hear their work aloud, and have discussions with the other attending playwrights ” It’s an idea rooted in community, and in the understanding that playwrights don’t just need platforms; they need rooms “A dedicated community space like this could be very helpful and a fantastic resource to SETC playwrights I heard other playwrights who have been attending SETC for much longer than I have reminiscing about how this was something SETC used to offer, but doesn’t anymore So there is some history to this!”
The word community comes up again and again, not as a buzzword, but as something actively built Something that requires presence, participation, and a willingness to show up not just for your own work, but for others’. “We playwrights are a small but mighty bunch - and it’s at places like SETC where we sharpen our community and make lasting connections.” There is something powerful in that framing. Small, but growing; mighty, not in scale, but in intention. For young playwrights considering SETC, the opportunity is not just in what already exists, but in what is still taking shape. The fringe festival is there, waiting for new work, workshops are expanding, reaching writers at different stages, and conversations are happening in hallways, sessions, or the spaces between. Perhaps most importantly, playwrights themselves are showing up, bringing their work, their questions, their ambition, and their willingness to build something together. Gibbs felt that shift firsthand. “I loved getting to meet so many people this year and I look forward to another great conference in 2027!”
Somewhere right now, there is a playwright with a draft open on their laptop that they’ve written, they’ve revised, and they’re wondering what will come next SETC is becoming one answer to that question Not a final destination but a place to expand and grow A place to test ideas A place to meet collaborators A place to step out of isolation and into community For those willing to take that step, the room is getting bigger, one playwright at a time
NEWS
Why is SETC Special?
By Joanna Sheehan Bell - SETC Executive Director
When I think about what makes SETC special, I keep coming back to the importance of gathering.
As theatre artists, we spend so much of our lives thinking about how to gather audiences. We think about what it means to bring people together in a room for something live and shared. But gathering artists matters too. We gather to rehearse, to learn, to audition, to teach, to hire, to collaborate, to share and to imagine what comes next. In a field that can so often feel scattered by geography and resources, places of meaningful gathering matter even more.
That is one of the reasons SETC matters.
Few organizations in the American theatre field stand so fully at the crossroads of training, practice, hiring, mentorship, and lifelong professional connection. SETC does. And it does so by creating spaces where people can come together with purpose
In Chattanooga, students arrived looking for a first opening Educators and mentors came to guide the next generation Professionals came to recruit, teach, and reconnect Institutions came because SETC remains one of the rare places where so many parts of the theatre ecosystem still meet in one place
We were reminded again that when theatre people gather, opportunity follows.
What I value most about SETC is that it is practical in the best sense of the word. It helps people build skills, find work, and form he relationships that
shape careers It helps artists, technicians, educators, and leaders see a path forward in a field that can often feel difficult to navigate SETC does not simply celebrate theatre It helps sustain it by connecting people to opportunity
I believe deeply in that kind of work
I believe the arts are empathy engines, expanding our capacity to understand one another Theatre, especially, is rooted in collaboration, and collaboration begins by coming together If we want a resilient field tomorrow, we must continue investing in the structures that help people enter the profession, grow within it, and remain in it over time
Joanna Sheehan Bell (she/her) SETC Executive Director
A scene from Laundry and Bourbon presented at the Community Theatre Festival sponsred by Ludus
Beth Leavel sings at the Distinguished Career Award Keynote Address
This organization has strong roots and a remarkable legacy. Many people can trace a job, a mentor, a turning point, or a lasting professional relationship back to SETC. That is not accidental. It is what happens when a trusted organization creates the conditions for people to gather with intention.
That is part of what excites me most about this role. I am honored to be part of an organization with such deep roots and such possibilities If you care about the future of theatre, there is a place for you in this organization I hope you will make a plan to gather with us in the coming year: audition, express interest in a leadership role, start planning a workshop proposal, or simply make plans now to be in the room with us in Lexington Help us build what comes next and, together, shape a stronger, bolder theatre field
A scene from The Crane Wife presented at The Secondary School Theater Festival
Ursula Robinson presented Annette Grevious with the Suzanne M Davis Award
Excitement in the Exhibition Hall sponsored by Disney Live Entertainment
Workshop enagagement was a point of excitement this year
Dance Call, just one part of the Audition process at convention
Constiuents Connecting at the Annual Mixer sponsored by Concord Theatricals
Theatre posium: come to k Atlanta ersity
Eve Graves
rtment of Theatre munication
TCS) at Clark niversity is proud he Theatre um community in hope this is the
Dr. Eve Graves, Professor (she/her) Department Chairperson Department of Theatre and Communication Studies
Clark Atlanta University
Like SETC, the TCS Department is a vibrant and innovative multidisciplinary learning community Since Adrienne McNeil Herndon taught drama and staged classical plays at CAU in the 1800s, the TCS department has sought to create a more equitable, and humane world through the art of storytelling and the study of human communication We are unapologetically committed to examining human identity and practice through the lens of communication and collaborative artistic exploration. We truly believe and teach our students: “totus mundus agit histrionem” (the whole world is a playhouse). So, join us and unlock your creative genius in the Department of Theatre and Communication Studies on the campus of Clark Atlanta University May 29-31, 2026.
CAU---where ALL are welcome and ALL forms of theatrical scholarship are celebrated!
FEATUREDJOB LISTINGS
Assistant or Associate Professor of Scenic Design at the University of Wisconsin - Madison in Madison, WI
Take the next step in your career! Explore these and many more available positions at the SETC Theatre Job Board.
To post a job listing, click here
Thanks to SETC’s Contributors
Lindsay Fussell
Jeffery Gibson
Laurie Horsley
Rebecca Moore
Jeffrey Nixon
Tara Peart
Thomas Rodman
Rodney Van Valkenburg
SETC Hall of Fame Honorees
The Hall of Fame recognizes people and organizations who have made major contributions or had significant impact on SETC over a sustained period of time.
Getchell New Play Award
Alex Dremann, for his play omniHappy
In omniHappy, Helen and Phil are living in a pristine near-future dystopian Philadelphia, where the mega tech company Omni controls everything about their lives and their data. Omni’s only goal is to keep its customers happy and spending money. If a customer becomes unhappy, Omni tasks the person causing the unhappiness with killing (or “churning”) the unhappy customer. Today’s the day Omni detects Phil has become unhappy, so Helen is tasked with churning her husband… which makes her unhappy. But Helen is a neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania and has been working on a research project that might save both their lives and doom all of humanity to omniHappiness
If you are considering producing omniHappy, please contact Alex Dremann directly to arrange licensing
Woody Weaver
Ginger Poole Avis
Kathy Benjamin
Alex Dremann
NEWS
Secondary School Festival Honors
Outstanding Play Production
Outstanding Scenic Design
James and the Giant Peach
Lafayette High School, KY Runner-Up
Theatre People
Lakeside High School, GA
Finalists
A Monster Calls
Stewart Creek High School, TN
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
West Henderson High School, NC
This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries...
Greater Atlanta Christian School, GA
Outstanding Director
Lisa Bridges for Theatre People...
New World School of the Arts, FL
Outstanding Performance Ensemble
This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries...
Greater Atlanta Christian School, GA
Outstanding Comedic Timing
The Cast of Theatre People...
Lakeside High School, GA
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Pearl High, MS
Outstanding Costume Design
James and the Giant Peach
Lafayette High School, KY
Outstanding Sound Design
The Crane Wife
Ocean Spring High School, MS
Outstanding Hair & Makeup Design
The Bell Witch
Lafayette High School, VA
Outstanding Choreography
Tale of the Magic Drum
Indian River Charter High School, FL
Outstanding Adaptable Set
The School Spirit
Clay County High School, KY
Outstanding Puppetry
A Monster Calls
Stewart Creek High School, TN
The Cast of Lafayette High School’s winning production of James and the Giant Peach
Outstanding Performer
Jonah Rinser as Harlequin in Of Widows and Vegetables, Union Pines High School, NC
Rhyse Sterling as Charlotte in Theatre People or The Angel Next Door, Lakeside High School, GA
Outstanding Supporting Performer
Xavier Strand as Audience Member in Of Widows and Vegetables Union Pines High School, NC
Landis Scott in Um, I Think the Psych Teacher is Dead Parkersburg South High School, WV
Oustanding Comedic Duo
Rhyse Sterling in Theatre People or The Angel Next Door
Jonah
as Harlequin in Of Widows and Vegatables
Grace Hellard as Aunt Spiker and Reese Owens as Aunt Sponge - James and the Giant Peach, Lafayette High School, KY
Outstanding Physical Performance
Cole Reisner as Edward Tulane in The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, West Henderson High School, NC
Outstanding Storytelling
Ben Hawkins, Riley Shamaybe, & Kayley Ward as narrators in This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries ,Greater Atlanta Christian School, GA
Oustanding Cameo
Alex Naggey as Dog in Failure: A Love Story, EC Glass High School VA
Cole Reisner as Edward Tulane in The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Alex Naggey as Dog in Failure: A Love Story
Ben Hawkins, Riley Shamaybe, & Kayley Ward as narrators in This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing
A moment showcasing Grace Hellard as Aunt Spiker and Reese Owens as Aunt Sponge in James and the Giant Peach
Risner (left)
Outstanding
Tech Company
James and the Giant Peach Lafayette
High School, KY
Isabella Agnew
Layla Alexander
Tabitiha Anderson
AJ Briggs
Makenzie Brown
Noah Casey
Elliott Davidoff
Max Domina
Lauren Edmonds
Alyssa Flinchum
Avery Lane Green
Logan Gwynn
Sophia Haupt
Will Hoffman
Spirit of the Festival
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Pearl High, MS
Secondary School Festival All-Star Cast
Abby Holmes
Addison Kidd
Caia McCauley
JT McCoy
Mikkel Mitchell
Angie Montes
Lily Nash
Patrick Oliver
Grace Pena
Addyson Pollzzie
Elia Pyper
Gabe Rice
Raelynn Rivers
Dustin Roberts
La'Deja Rolle
Reece Rushing
Hunter Sailor
Nadia Samassekou
Dehvan Sherod
Morganne Shoop
Natalise Snead
Ava Stevens
Tyler Terrell
Averie Whitacre
Cameron Wilkie
Cheyenne Williams
Ayden Wood
Annalise Youmans
Cast and Crew of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Cast and Crew of James and the Giant Peach
NEWS Studio Festival Honors
Outstanding Play Production
Mother of Exiles
Jamestown High School, VA
Runner-Up
The Bald Soprano
Brunswick High School, GA
Finalists
Backspace
Hoover High School, AL
ONE
Socastee High School, SC
The Secret in the Wings
Charlottesville High School, VA
Outstanding Director
Meredith T. Taylor for ONE
Socastee High School, SC
Outstanding Performance Ensemble
The Bald Soprano
Brunswick High School, GA
The Secret in the Wings
Charlottesville High School, VA
Outstanding Student Playwriting
Withering Away Cane Bay High School, AL
Outstanding Music
Laila Rasnake, Sil Leva, & Elizabeth Bennett as the musicians from Secret in the Wings Charlottesville High School, VA
Outstanding Script
Mother of Exiles
Jamestown High School, VA
Outstanding Ensemble within an Ensemble
Myra Johnson, Leonard Bonner, Kendall Morris, Amara Pierre, & Andrew Thompson for The Bald Soprano
Brunswick High School, GA
Outstanding Student Leadership
Olivia Calvin for The Secret in the Wings
Charlottesville High School, VA
The moment from Jamestown High School’s winning production of Mother of Exiles
Outstanding Performer
Canton Murphy as Mr. Pulitzer in Mother of Exiles
Jamestown High School, VA
Sasharyan Paulk as Emma Lazarus in Mother of Exiles
Jamestown High School, VA
Outstanding Supporting Performer
Savanna Wright as Mrs. Smith in The Bald Soprano
Brunswick High School, GA
Ty Morten as Mr. Martin in The Bald Soprano
Brunswick High School, GA
Canton Murphy as Mr. Pulitzer in Mother of Exiles
Studio Festival All-Star Cast
Cosby Alderman
Frances Cattelane
Olivia Colvin
Elizabeth Falkner
Langston Foskett
Jackson Garrett
Leliel Helu
Drew Huff
Kelsey Kathman
Auguste King
Elaina McNorton
Lucas Miedma
Leah Munsell
Josh Nielsen
Addison O'Quinn
Braxton Quinney
Olivia Ramirez-Weaver
Justin Rivera
Ary Sanchez
Lili Sanders
Lyric Sheck
Lauren Stanley
Eden Stephens
Madison Todd
Elizabeth Toomey
Parker Vile
Jamiyah Washburn
Jonathan Williams
Wil Zieger
Sasharyan Paulk as Emma Lazarus in Mother of Exiles
Community Theatre Festival Honors
standing Production
ing Achievement in Acting Spirit of the Road
The Revolutionists Starkville Community Theatre, MS
Laundry & Bourbon Wetumpka Theatre Depot, AL
Jessica Jolly as Marie Antoinette The Revolutionists Starkville Community Theatre, MS
Maggie Rowe as Elizabeth Laundry & Bourbon Wetumpka Theatre Depot, AL
Almost, Maine Theatre Oxford, MS
sponsored by
LUDUS
Achievement Costuming
The Revolutionists
Starkville Community Theatre, MS
Achievement in Technology
Kayana Frank
Still Life
Aero Theatrics, AL
Achievement in Scenic Design
John Mitchell
Laundry & Bourbon
Wetumpka Theatre Depot, AL
Achievement in Lighting Design
Thomas La Foe
The Revolutionists Starkville Community Theatre, MS
Achievement in Period Set Dressing & Properties
Bridget Poor Trifles
Playhouse in the Park, KY
Outstanding Achievement in Direction
Louie P. Gallo
The Revolutionists
Starkville Community Theatre, MS
Kristy Meanor
Laundry & Bourbon
Wetumpka Theatre Depot, AL
Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting
Dalton Cade Causey
Still Life
Aero Theatrics, AL
Promising Emerging Artist Award
Ella Arens as Young Sandra
Big Fish: School Edition
Encore Kids, GA
Costume Design Winner
Revolutionists
A moment from Trifles at Playhouse in the Park, KY, featuring the winning Period Set Dressing and Properties
Achievement in Art Design
Still Life
Aero Theatrics, AL
Achievement in Music & Special Effects
The Revolutionists
Starkville Community Theatre, MS
Outstanding Choreography
Lori Willis
Big Fish: School Edition
Encore Kids, GA
Outstanding Ensemble Acting
Laundry & Bourbon
Wetumpka Theatre Depot, AL
The Revolutionists
Starkville Community Theatre, MS
Outstanding Youth Ensemble Acting
Big Fish: School Edition
Encore Kids, GA
Achievement in Stage Combat Choreography
Carly Balog
Don’t Kill the Messenger
Stage & Steel Productions, WV
Community Theatre Festival All-Star Cast
Crosby Alderman
Victoria Greene
Gavin Lane
Kaleb Mercado
Richard “Twist” Oliver
Justin Wadkins
A moment showcasing the award-winning Big Fish: School Edition choreography
A moment showcasing the award-winning Don’t Kill the Messenger Stage Combat Choreography
Best of the Fringe Festival MEDEA
South Carolina Experimental Theatre Initiative
Fringe Festival’s
Chair’s Choice Award
Pirate Island
Columbia College Chicago
2026 Design Tech Award Winners
Cassandra Tuan Khai Teng winner of the 2026 John Spiegel Theatrical Award
sponsored by Associated Controls & Design
Cassandra Tuan Khai Teng is the winner of the 2026 John Spiegel Theatrical Award which is presented annually to a student pursuing a degree or certificate in one of the following areas: Lighting Design, Projection Design, Properties Design, Scenic Design, Sound Design, Technical Direction, and Stage Management.
Stage Management Games sponsored by NuDelta Digital
1st Place: Meredith Bennett - Clemson University
2nd Place: Alexandra Wyant - Virginia Tech University
3rd Place: Grayson Miller - Shenandoah University
Sustanibility in Production Award
1st Place – Abby Bilson from Indiana University for Merrily We Roll Along
2nd Place – Johanna Bieszke from Ball State University for Hunting
3rd Place – Autrey Brown from the University of Kentucky for Into the Woods
Honorable Mention - Lily Groff from Lafayette College for Much Ado About Nothing
Casey Lockledge’s scenic design for Mr. Burns - A Post-Electric Play
Undergraduate Scenic Design Award Sponsored by SCAD
1st Place – Casey Lockledge from Virginia Commonwealth University for Mr. Burns - A PostElectric Play
2nd Place – Peyton Kistler from Ball State University for The Adding Machine
3rd Place – Autrey Brown from the University of Kentucky for Into the Woods
Honorable Mention – Ann Bradbury from University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music for L’Egisto
Abby Bilson Green Production Display for Merrily We Roll Along
Undergraduate Lighting Design
Sponsored by ETC
1st Place – Vivien Smith from VCU Arts for The Crucible
2nd Place – Aislinh Kelley from College of William and Mary for Personal Belongings
3rd Place – AJ Ring from Muhlenberg College for The Play That Goes Wrong
Honorable Mention – Mari Gutierrez from Ball State University for Goodnight, Tyler
Undergraduate Costume Design
Sponsored by SCAD
1st Place – Victoria Kahnle from University of Tennessee - Knoxville for The Harvest
2nd Place – Maggie Payne from Wake Forest University for Failure: A Love Story
3rd Place – Reese Walters from Ball State University for Romeo & Juliet
Honorable Mention - Ari Chapman from Harding University for The Great Gatsby
Sound Design Award
Sponored by SCAD
1st Place – Carly Galbreth from Wake Forest University for Failure: A Love Story
2nd Place – Callie Wittmann from Wake Forest University for Old Times
3rd Place – Olivia Reiss from Muhlenberg College for Ride the Cyclone
Carly Galbreth
A moment featuring Vivien Smith’s design for The Crucible
Victoria Kahnle’s design sketches for The Harvest
Costume Crafts Award
1st Place – Morgan Hughes from Indiana State University for The Boy
2nd Place – Carter Buehl from Indiana State University for Misery
3rd Place – Lauren Summers from Wake Forest University for Barn Wood and Blue Roses
Technical Design & Construction Award sponsored by Productions Unlimited, Inc.
Kurtis Spann from Ball State University for Romeo & Juliet
Makeup Design Award
Sadie Vaugn from College of William and Mary for The Scarlett Pimpernel
Costume Technology Award
1st Place – Maggie Payne from Wake Forest University for Theoretical Ball Gown - Old Times
2nd Place – Max Maxwell from University of Kentucky for Thimble Maggie
Payne’s fully realized ball gown for Old Times
Morgan Hushes design of The Boy
Sadie Vaugn’s research and design concept sketch for The Scarlett Pimpernel
Kurtis Spann
Properties Design and Construction Award
sponsored by Georgia Stage
1st Place – ziqi Huang from Wake Forest University for Failure: A Love Story
2nd Place – Autrey Brown from University of Kentucky for Into the Woods
3rd Place – Wren Gerac from Berry College for She Kills Monsters
Honorable Mention – MacKenzie Crossland from Ball
State University for The Brementown Musicians
Graduate Scenic Design Award
Sponsored by SCAD
1st Place – Gabby S Trice from University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music for The Lightning Thief
The Percy Jackson Musical
2nd Place – Alondra Castro from University of Tennessee - Knoxville for The Royale
3rd Place – Regan Densmore from University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music for Hair
Honorable Mention - Michael James from University of Florida for Harvest
Graduate Lighting Design Award
Sponsored by ETC
1st Place – Jonathan Leatherman from University of Florida for F.Punk Junkies
2nd Place – Dylan Tillery from University of Tennessee
- Knoxville for Sense & Sensibility
A moment showcasing Jonathan Leatherman’s lighting design for F Punk Junkies
ziqi Huang’s design display for Failure: A Love Story
A scale model of Gabby S Trice’s scenic design for The Lightning Thief The Percy Jackson Musical
Graduate Costume Design Award
Sponsored by
SCAD
1st Place – Tori Niemiec of the University of TennesseeKnoxville of Sense & Sensibility
2nd Place – MaKenzie Vaughan from Florida State University for You on the Moors, Now
3 Place - Abigail Larsen from University of Florida for F.Punk Junkies rd
Ready to Design
If you have found any factual or photographic errors in this newsletter, please email thomas@setc.org with a correction.
Regan Children’s Theatre Gabby S tre of
Chatlotte
Tori Niemiec with her winning Design for Sense & Sensibility
Tori Niemiec’s winning Design for Sense & Sensibility